The Grendler's Gift
by Lia Faile
Summary: A G889 Christmas Tale inspired by O. Henry's


**The Grendler's Gift**

by Lia Faile

Struggling not to drop an armful of freshly cleaned laundry, Bess called out to her husband, "Morgan, honey, can you give me a hand, please?" Absolute silence met her request for assistance. Her view was obstructed by the pile of clothing she carried so she couldn't tell if she was alone in the room or not. Then a faint humming reached her ears.

"Morgan, are you in here?" Her voice this time a little louder and slightly tinged with annoyance. The humming crescendoed and then she immediately recognized it as "In a Sentimental Mood" by Duke Ellington. Not that she was a jazz aficionado, just that this was the umpteenth time she'd heard it since settling into the winter camp. A pretty tune that was starting to grate on her normally patient nerves . . . As was its hummer.

She attempted to maneuver towards the clothes chest blindly on her own. When her foot landed on something laying on the floor causing her ankle to twist. Her cry of pain turned to one of dismay when gravity won the delicate battle she'd been waging with it and the pile of cleanly folded clothing cascaded down around her feet.

The humming never wavered.

Dark lashes lifted slowly from the shambles to the now unobstructed view of a happily humming Morgan stretched out on the double cot. His ever present VR set on his head, and his foot bobbing in time with the music playing in his head and his hands wielding drum sticks that only he could see. Bess scooped up the nearest article of clothing and smacked Morgan in the face with such force, his GEAR flew off his head.

MORGAN!

The subject of Bess' ire popped up, wild-eyed and gasping like a fish suddenly plucked out of its watery home into the suffocating air.

"Bess! What's wrong with you?! You could have seriously damaged my cerebral cortex!"

He then noticed the mess scattered all over the floor. "What are my clothes doing on the floor, Bess? It's not like I can run out to the emporium and do a little shopping," he scowled.

"Do you love me, Morgan?" Was her quiet response.

"That's a stupid question."

She crossed her arms and glared at him coolly. "Since when is asking someone if they love someone else a stupid question?"

"It's stupid to ask since the person being asked married the person asking for life not too long ago," he muttered back as he examined his GEAR for any damage.

"Oh, so now I'm stupid."

Morgan rolled his eyes and sighed. "Bess," he ventured softly, "do you need to go see Julia about adjusting your hormone levels?"

Her arms unfolded and her hands came to rest on her hips in a challenging manner. "Why is it every time we argue, you always seem to assume that it's my hormones bothering me instead of you? Do you even know how long a woman's cycle is, Morgan?"

"Lately, yours seems to be perpetual," he shot back. "Maybe if we dig a big hole and dump you in it, the Terrians will cure you of this harpish shrew you've become."

Her doe like blue eyes slowly filled with tears that threatened to burst the banks of her lids at any moment. "I can't believe you're being so mean to me," she murmured incredulously. "I thought I knew you. I thought I understood you and what you were capable of. Apparently I was wrong. That makes me wonder what else I was wrong about."

He didn't answer. His head was already bowed back down over his GEAR as he carefully checked and rechecked the VR attachment. Bess stared hatefully at the GEAR set in his hands. Another woman she could deal with easily, but how could she compete with a mechanized mistress that could fulfill his every whim and fantasy without a single complaint? A childish anger intensified by womanly jealousy seized her and without thinking, she snatched the VR attachment from his hands and flung it across the room. It struck the dome wall and shattered like an egg.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!!" Morgan bellowed as he rushed over to the smashed remains. Gingerly he picked up all the tiny pieces he could find, but he knew it was irreparably damaged. He glared up at her. "That was the only VR memory module I had left after Devon and Danziger confiscated all the others. I had to beg as it was to keep this one."

Bess was horrified at her own actions but pride and Morgan's attitude stopped her from apologizing. "I wish they had taken them all. I'm sick and tired of taking second place behind your VR programs. I'm your wife, Morgan. Not your charwoman, not your personal bed warmer. Do you understand?"

"Oh, I understand," he sneered. "I finally understand that my father was right about you. 'You can take the woman off the planet but you can't take the planet out of the woman' he told me."

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

"It means that no matter how cleaned up, dressed up, better fed or better housed you are, you will still suffer from a miner's mentality."

"A miner's mentality?" she sputtered. "A miner's mentality?!"

Attracted by the shouting, Baines popped his head into the room. His gaze drifted back and forth from the quarreling couple before finally resting on the nearly on the verge of tears Bess.

"Can I do anything for you, Bess?"

Collecting herself, Bess wiped her nose on the cuff of her sleeve before meeting Baines' concerned gaze. "Yes Baines, yes there is..." She replied as she calmly walked towards him. "You can keep Morgan warm tonight, and every night for that matter," her control snapped and she stormed out the door, "because I'm NOT!"

Baines turned his head and watched as Bess walked across the communal area then out the main door. A hesitant cough brought his attention back into the Martins room. His dark eyes fell on a stunned Morgan who tried to sidestep around him to pursue his fleeing wife. Baines casually leaned against the door jam blocking him. Morgan attempted to pass him on the other side, but Baines shifted and blocked him again. Morgan glanced up and smiled nervously. Baines held Morgan's gaze impassively then his lips slowly slipped upwards in a grin before they puckered in a kissing gesture. A startled Morgan stumbled backwards landing on the cot and clutched his GEAR set to his chest defensively.

"Ahh...she was just j-joking."

"I don't know Morgan," Baines answered softly as he pushed off from the door jam and took a single step into the room, "She sounded pretty serious to me."

Morgan shrank back, his jaw dropped open in disbelief. "I-I-I don't know what your game is Baines, b-but I'm not playing!"

"That's all right Morgan. I understand."

Morgan sighed in relief at the darker man's words and that he was now walking out the door.

"I'll be back later."

Baines kicked shut the door with his heel and stifled a snicker as he hear the sounds of stuff being dragging and pushed against the closed door.

~*~

A cold and tired Danziger wandered in from a week long recon-mission. It had been a waste of time but it had given him a break from the others. He had recognized the onset of cabin fever and had decided to make himself scarce for awhile. Now he found himself actually happy to be back in the group. Hungry, but happy. He nodded to Devon and signaled that he would give his report after dinner. Picking up a tray, he got in the chow line behind Magus. He flashed Bess a warm smile and held his empty plate out. A bleakly distracted Bess just plopped a ladle full of stew on his plate sending gravy splatters all over him.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!"

"That's alright, Bess. No harm done." He assured her as he wiped a drop of gravy off his cheek. "What's got you so distracted?"

"Danziger, do you think Morgan's a jerk?"

Sensing a setup, John's gaze slide warily up from his food spattered jacket to the anxiously pouting face of the doe-eyed woman before him. "Well Bess," he slowly drawled, "there's quite a few words I'd use to describe Morgan but I can honestly say that 'jerk' isn't one of them."

Magus nudged him as they walked together towards the table where Baines and Walman were already seated. "I'm impressed. When did you become a diplomat?" She teasingly asked.

"Hey, one thing I learned from Alex and Les, never take sides in somebody else's love spat."

"I'm not so sure this is just a spat. They haven't spoken a word to each other in nearly a week." Walman replied as Danziger and Magus sat down on either side of him.

"Yeah, but they've both been constantly bending everyone else's ears about each other," Magus groused. "I hear one more 'cute' Morgan story, I'm going to take a screwdriver and pierce my own ear drums so I won't have to hear another one."

"I better not catch you using one of my screwdrivers to do that," Danziger mock growled. Turning to the silent Baines, he asked, "Speaking of Morgan, where is the virtual Casanova? It's not like him to miss a meal."

Baines' eyes never wavered from the closed door of the Martins' room. "Morgan's playing hard to get," he drawled over the rim of his cup.

Danziger's fork paused halfway to his mouth as he glanced sideways at the tech. "I sincerely hope you're joking."

"So does Morgan!" Magus chirped in, giggling.

~*~

Morgan sat huddled close to the small fire he was allowed. The magpro balanced across his knees while he waggled his mittened hands over the fire trying to keep the numbness from invading them as it had his backside.

"I don't understand why we have to post a guard at night. What fool would be out in this weather?" He grumbled to himself.

It seemed just to prove him wrong, the sound of snowing being crunched underfoot came from the nearby trees. Jumping to his feet, he tried to flip the the power switch of the gun on but his covered fingers were having trouble finding it. Daring to cast a glance back at the dome, he wondered if he should just scream and make a run for it. That always seem to work for True, he crazily mused as the footsteps came closer. Finally the gun hummed to life and he hoisted it up and aimed it in the approximate location of the approaching intruder.

"H-h-halt! Identify yourself!"

A familiar snort was his answer. Squinting in the darkness, he just made out the bulky shadow that continued to shuffle slowly towards him. When the trespasser stepped into the perimeter of the campfire, he recognized it as the Grendler that had been trading with them off and on during the winter.

"Oh, hello. Sorry about that, but you shouldn't sneak up on humans in the dark."

The Grendler snorted again, only this time a little softer. It sounded almost like a chuckle. It proceeded to make itself at home at the fire.

"Umm....if you're here to trade, you'll have to come back in the morning. Everyone's asleep."

The Grendler just sat there blinking and drooling at him. Finally giving up, Morgan sat down across the fire from it. Company, even smelly company, would pass the time more quickly. Besides he reasoned, just in case anything else was lurking out there, a big, scary looking Grendler might be a discouraging enough sight to any potentially dangerous intruders. They sat there in an awkward silence. Neither being knowing enough of the other's language to chat. Suddenly the Grendler exploded. At least that's what Morgan thought at first, but while he was trying to swallow his heart back down his throat, he realized it had merely sneezed. Extremely loudly and explosively.

"Gesundheit," Morgan politely offered.

Watching the Grendler snuffle and snort against its sleeve, a mildly disgusted Morgan unwound his scarf and offered it to his guest after pantomiming how to use it like a handkerchief. Comprehension dawned on the Grendler and it took the scarf and prodigiously blew its nose into it. Done, it offered it back to him, rumbling softly.

"No, no," Morgan replied, holding up his hands but not touching the snotty scarf. "You keep it. Consider it a gift."

A gift.

A light went on inside Morgan's head. A gift. If he got a really fantastic gift for Bess, she'd forgive him. Maybe even feel guilty for what she had done and said to him. His governmental, bribery conditioned mind reasoned. Hesitantly he reached out and lightly tapped the Grendler's shoulder.

"Uh, um, excuse me...Mr. Grendler...would you be interested in trading tonight?"

The Grendler's beady eyes lit up and it bobbed its head up and down. "Trade" was apparently one human word it comprehended. It began to pull various items from the folds of its clothing like a magician. Waving each item under Morgan's nose to entice him before setting them down on the ground with a flourish. Morgan examined the goods gloomily. Nothing it produced could be called romantic.

"You see, I screwed up really bad and I need something special. Something that says, 'I love you, please forgive me.'"

Morgan stared at the softly wheezing Grendler. "Do you understand? Or are you perfect like the Terrians and don't ever have to forgive or be forgiven?"

The Grendler just sat there and patted the ground next to its booty. Morgan bowed his head and stared into the fire.

"Nevermind. I don't think there's anything I could give her to make up for the way I hurt her feelings this time. All she wanted was some attention and a little help. It's just that I'm always getting hollered at about one thing or another, and when Bess started yelling at me, I just kind of snapped. I really hate it here. It's either too cold or too hot, too rocky or too muddy. The food is terrible. Especially when I cook it. We're either endlessly walking or stuck in some boring place like this with nothing to do. I'm probably the most useless person here. Who needs a bureaucrat in the middle of nowhere? 'What good are you, Morgan?' Boy, if I had a credit for every time I've ever heard that in my life, I'd be richer than Adair."

He laughed mirthlessly at his own attempt at a joke. "That's why I like VR so much. It's a perfect world in there and I'm perfect too when I'm in there. I can be everything I'm not out here. It's a crutch, I know. But everyone needs to hide from real life every now and then, right?"

The Grendler made a gurgling, coaxing noise. When Morgan looked up, it held out a dangling, golden chain. Morgan stared at it as if it were a hallucination. It was perfect. Bess had wordlessly given up her gold chain that her wildflower medallion had hung from when Danziger needed the gold to make conductive circuitry repairs to the dome's power source. But later, that night, she had sobbed like a child in his arms over its loss. Bess had so few things to call her own, but instead of her poverty making her greedy, she selflessly gave of what she had because she knew what it meant to be without something. Morgan reached out to take the delicate chain, only to have the Grendler pull its hand back.

"Oh, of course! You want a trade first," Morgan smiled excitedly.

He began to pat down his pockets searching for something -anything- that might appeal to this creature. He didn't dare go inside the dome to search through his possessions there in case it interpreted his actions as not being interested and left before he could come back out. Nor did he dare to bring it inside with him and risk the wrath of Danziger or Adair. Both had been adamant that the Grendler wasn't allowed inside the dome. They feared it might get tempted by what it saw to either break in to help itself or raise its demands in future barterings. Pulling his hands out of his pockets, all he had was a piece of lint in one hand and his GEAR in the other. He seriously doubted he could interest the Grendler in the lint, though Bess with her exceptional barter skills probably could.

He stared long and hard at the GEAR. Danziger had promised to scrounge up the parts necessary to repair the VR attachment but he wasn't sure if he could get Adair's okay on another memory module to replace the one that got broken. Though he had promised to try. Morgan wasn't sure why Danziger was willing to help him procure another module, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If he traded the GEAR set away, what good would the VR attachment and memory module do him? He gazed back up at the chain glittering warmly in the firelight. Holding out the GEAR to the Grendler, he let out his breath slowly when it held out the chain in return. Morgan cupped the golden strand in his hands and smiled widely. So pleased, he didn't even notice the Grendler getting up and leaving. He sat there by the fire and imagined Bess' reaction when he gave it to her. He was tempted to go wake her up now, but then he'd just have to come back out and finish his guard shift. No, he'd give it to her tonight, after supper.

~*~

The next morning found Bess traipsing about the woods near the winter camp whistling for the Grendler. Her heart was heavier than the sack of barter goods she was carrying. Her efforts were soon rewarded with an answering whistle. Plunking her wares down in a cleared off area in the snow, she set to bartering with a no-nonsense air. Her usually friendly chatter missing. The Grendler noticed the change in her. Reaching out with its massive stumpy fingered hands, it carefully caught a corner of her mouth with the fingertip of each forefinger. Gently, it curved the edges of her mouth upwards in a semblance of a smile. It didn't let go until Bess' muscles took over and made the smile genuine. She laughed softly.

"I know, I haven't been myself today. To tell the truth, I haven't been myself for several days now."

Bess' face screwed up and all her pent up hurt and frustration burst out all at once. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably. The Grendler bleated worriedly and awkwardly thumped her on the top of her bent head consolingly. Cried out, Bess lifted her tear streaked red face and gave the Grendler a tremulous smile.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed as she wiped at her running nose with her sleeve. "I didn't mean to break down like that. It's just that I've been estranged from my husband for a week now because of my temper and I don't know how to make it up to him. I'm afraid he may never forgive me. I'm not even sure if I deserve forgiving. I was so mean to him."

The Grendler shoved something into her hands.

"Oh, thank you," Bess murmured. "My husband has a scarf just like this one."

Not wanting to offend the Grendler, she found a clean, unused corner of the scarf and daintily blew her nose before handing it back to him. Pleased, the Grendler got back to the business at hand--haggling. Throughout the entire dickering, Bess' eyes kept straying to the VR memory modules. They were not on Devon's list. After the geolock disaster, Bess had promised not to diverge from the group's list without discussing it with her first. So she bartered only for what she had been sent to procure. Finally, her sack full of items other than those that she had come with. There was nothing more to barter for or with. Still her eyes lingered over the memory modules. Her convetous gaze was not lost on the shrewd Grendler. Picking one up, it waved it under her nose enticingly.

"I have nothing to trade for it."

The Grendler gave a snuffling snort then proceeded to tuck it away in the folds of its clothing. Bess reached out and stayed its hand.

"Wait, please."

The Grendler cocked its head curiously as she dug around inside her coat. Bess closed her hand around what she sought and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm sorry Daddy," she whispered softly before drawing forth her crystal encased wildflower.

The Grendler's eyes lit up at the trinket as Bess copied its gesture and waved it under its nose. Though she quickly discovered it wasn't necessary to entice it. Scooping up two memory modules, it held them out to her while the fingers of its other hand opened and closed in a childish gimme gesture. Dry eyed, Bess made the exchange. Carefully tucking the modules in her coat, she stood up and hoisted her sack over her shoulder and headed back to camp. It was only fair, she told herself. She had destroyed something that Morgan held personally of value. It was only fair that she part with something of equal value to her in order to replace what she had unjustly taken from him. Nor did she feel she had violated her promise to Devon. She hadn't bartered for anything that was potentially harmful. Plus, she had gotten not one but two. The second one she would give to Devon. If the older woman still didn't like it, well, she could just stuff it.

A smile crept across Bess' face as she thought of Morgan's reaction when she gave him the module. She'd give it to him tonight, after supper. Surely he'd forgive her then.

~*~

That evening, after everyone had eaten and retired to various corners of the dome to while away an hour or two on some personal pastime, Bess and Morgan managed to end up alone in a quiet corner. Both smiled shyly and awkwardly at each other and began to talk at the same time.

"I'm sorry."

"I wasn't thinking clearly."

"I didn't mean anything I said."

"It was just cabin fever."

"Forgive me."

They laughed as their speeches blended together. They laughed even louder when they both produced a cloth tied bundle and presented it to the other at the same time.

"You open yours first, Bess."

"No, let's open them together."

Like two children on Christmas day, they torn open their presents together. They both stared mutely at their gifts, their smiles faltering slightly. Morgan was the first to speak.

"Don't you like it?"

Bess slowly lifted the gold chain up and gazed at it mistily. "It's very beautiful, Morgan. Thank you."

"You can hang your wildflower pendant from it."

"No, I can't," she whispered. "I traded it for your gift."

Morgan stared down at the VR memory module. "Oh," was all he said.

"Don't you like your present, Morgan?"

"I-I love it, Bess. Thank you," he murmured.

"Now you have a memory module to reprogram your jazz quartet into once Danziger replaces your VR attachment."

"Bess...I-I traded my GEAR for your necklace," he added sheepishly.

They both began to laugh at the ridiculousness of their situation. Then Bess threw herself into Morgan's arms.

"Oh Morgan, honey, let's just go to bed."

He frowned, "Just go to bed?"

Bess chuckled, and led him back to their room.

~*~

A sleep mussed Bess stretched out for a husband that wasn't there. Sitting up, she spied him quietly dressing. Softly she called out to him.

"Morgan, where are you going?"

He turned and smiled at her as he finished tucking in his shirttail. Walking over to her, he leaned down and kissed her before answering.

"Go back to sleep, I'm going to prepare the morning meal and I'll be back to serve you breakfast in bed."

"But Morgan, it's my turn to fix breakfast."

"Ut-huh, not today. I've got a lot of slacking off to make up for, starting today."

"Don't be silly, Morgan," Bess rejoined as she struggled to extract herself from the tangled covers. "We'll fix it together. Just let me get my clothes on."

She managed to free one foot from the bed and as she slipped it out, something fell to the floor next to her foot. Picking up the bundle, she examined it curiously.

"Morgan, did you get me another present?"

"No," he answered as he sat down on the bed next to her. "I don't know where it can from. I didn't notice it when I got up."

She tucked a curly lock behind her and plopped the mystery package between them. "Let's open it up!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Do you think we should?" Morgan protested.

"Why not? It was in our bed."

That said, she untied the package and revealed her wildflower pendant and Morgan's GEAR. They stared incredulously at the items as if they might go up in smoke if they should so much as blink.

"Morgan," Bess whispered. "Didn't you say you traded your GEAR for the gold chain?" Morgan nodded mutely as he gingerly touched the GEAR set. "And I know I traded my pendant for the memory modules."

"How'd they get here?"

Bess picked up the crystallized wildflower and held it to her chest. A tear trickled down her smiling cheek. "The Grendler must of given them back," she murmured.

"Yeah, but why?"

"I don't know, Morgan. I don't know."

END


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